Let’s talk basics in starting a podcast!

My first appearance on a photography business podcast went live on my birthday two years ago and I instantly wanted a podcast of my own. Clearly it took me a hot minute, but this year I decided I would finally cross “start a podcast” off my to-do list, but there are so many decisions to make it can be a bit overwhelming.

• pick a name

• determine the types of episodes you want to have

• write the show description

• design the show graphics

• create ALL the assets needed to book your guests (application, scheduler, email reminders, questions)

• choose software to record, edit, and host the podcast

• select music for the podcast and then record your trailer, intro, and outro

Have I scared you off yet? If not, let me just tell you what I did so that maybe you will have some motivation to get things done as well.

How I launched my podcast in less than 30 days!

First, I booked a VIP Day with Jocelyn of Connect through Content. Her specialty is the strategy behind creating a podcast, making sure it is more than just some conversations with people in the industry asking them about their life and business. She helps you identify content pillars and episode types, that will help you move people to buy your service/product. At the end of my day with her, I had my name & artwork, show premise and description, content pillars, and show structure.

Many photographers and other creatives, fall into the trap of fixating on mastering their craft rather than focusing on running a sustainable and profitable business. They struggle for years to actually make a living as a creative service provider, hustling to get clients or limiting their capacity because they’re spending too much time running the backend of their business that they can’t take on more clients. Ultimately they burn out and are forced to get a *real* job, never making a living from their creative business.

We’re here to change that.

Every creative deserves to turn their craft into a business that brings them joy and profit. No more working 24/7 in their business or struggling to make ends meet.

Our show will be the place for creatives to go to ensure they turn their craft into a profitable business.

Second, I reviewed several pieces of software before deciding on Riverside.fm to record, Descript to edit, and Buzzsprout to host. Originally I planned to just use Zoom to record, Premiere Pro + Audition to edit, and Hello.Audio to host because I already pay for them, but there were enough benefits to pay more for new software.  Look for a blog post when the podcast has been live for a year, to discuss the return on this investment!

I LOVE that Riverside records separate audio and video for each person, critical when I end up talking over my guest and the audio gets garbled. $180/year

Descript is amazing because it allows me to edit the podcast as a whole; quickly removing dead air, duplicate content, or anything extraneous that takes away from the topic. I can even dub over myself if there are words that are unclear. $288/year

I chose Buzzsprout to host because it made registering for the directories, adding dynamic content before or after each episode, and seeing stats for each episode so easy. They also have an upgrade feature called Magic Mastering that evens out your audio so that one person or part of the podcast isn’t louder than another. It’s like music to the ears LOL. $216/year

NOTE: You do not need to invest hundreds of dollars to start a podcast of your own! There are a lot of free resources/software you can use to get started!

Last, I had to record the trailer, intro, and outro. Those were honestly the HARDEST parts for me. To me, recording something scripted is THE worst, because it doesn’t sound like me.

The podcast is LIVE as of today with one solo and one guest episode live with Britney Jeanine. I already have an additional 4 guest episodes recorded.

Eventually, I want to use Airtable to manage the guest scheduling and planning out the calendar of episodes. But I am currently using Dubsado to take applications, schedule recordings, and send email communications with guests because it only took me a little over 30 minutes to set it all up.

Okay, are you ready to start your podcast? Pop over to instagram and send me a DM to let me know when you hit publish!